A career helping people improve their health and manage diseases and
conditions isn't only the purview of doctors. Because doctors have
little formal nutrition training, dietitians are increasingly found on
the frontline of disease and condition treatment. Registered dietitians
help countless people each year manage their diabetes, high blood
pressure, cholesterol, lactose intolerance, obesity and risk of heart
disease and stroke.
"Doctors need our help and some are starting
to work with dietitians on a more regular basis," said Dobbins, who is
also a certified diabetes educator.The career path to work in
nutrition therapy takes less time and is less costly than going to med
school, but still opens the doors to many health care-related job
opportunities. People with an interest in becoming a registered
dietitian study nutrition in college, then take an internship to prepare
for certification as a registered dietician nutritionist, or RDN,
choosing different specialties along the way.
After earning a
degree, RDNs serve a nine-month internship where they choose one or more
specialties to gain experience and build their resumes. Becoming a
dietetic technician requires a two-year degree, with career
opportunities including supporting RDNs at institutions or in private
practices. While some dietitians specialize in one or two areas, many
offer a variety of services in their practices, including sports
nutrition counseling, corporate wellness consulting, weight loss, eating
disorder counseling and community education.To specialize in
nutrition therapy, dietitians might focus their internships on clinical
work, interning at a hospital or other health care facility.
This path
helped Dobbins build a foundation that allowed her to create her own
practice that includes community education, diabetes counseling, working
with patients with specific health needs, teaching nutrition to
culinary students and offering media consulting to professional
dietitians."Dietetics is such a great field and there are so many
different paths you can take, I encourage people to try out a few
different areas and not be narrow minded about jobs,"said Dobbins, based
in Chicago's northern suburbs.
"I never would have dreamed in a million
years that working in a hospital setting would have given me all of
these opportunities, but it did."Her current practice takes her
all over Chicagoland and across the country, including coaching other
dietitians on media and communications skills.Registered
dietitians earned median pay of $53,250 in 2010, according to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
reporting 2009 salaries of RDNs with five years or less experience at
approximately $51,000 to $62,000.Compensation increases with
years of experience, with the AND finding that RDNs with management and
business practices earn incomes of $85,000 to $88,000. The employment
outlook for RDNs is projected to be positive through 2014 because of
increased demand for diet therapy and an aging population.To know more visit our site http://allindiayellowpage.com.